1938. “Tuile” Duoplan, model 18008

1938

The wristwatch took over in the interwar years. It offered a major advantage over the pocket watch: it allowed faster access to the time. But it posed a thorny problem: miniaturization. This is because the smaller the mechanism becomes, the harder it becomes to offer precision, reliability and resistance. The Duoplan watch offered an original solution: by overlaying the movement’s components on two levels, it was able to retain a large balance wheel. In other words, it reconciled elegance and fine watchmaking. One of the Duoplan watches offered by Artcurial perfectly symbolises the marriage of elegance and technique in the service of women. The case is an extension of the 18-carat pink-gold “chain” type bracelet. The glass protecting the copper-coloured Art Deco dial is shaped like a Roman roof-tile, a particularity which earned this watch the name “tuile” (French for “tile”). For even greater aesthetic purity, the crown is hidden beneath the watch. This model is one of the very first to be signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, as it was made only one year after the fusion of the two names LeCoultre and Jaeger. 11,107 Jaeger-LeCoultre 403 calibres, one of which powers this watch, were manufactured between 1927 and 1966 – an annual rate of less than 300.